US Equestrian appointed Michel Assouline Head of Para-Equestrian Coach Development and High Performance Consultant in May of 2017. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge about para-equestrian dressage and dressage trainer/coach development and in 2019 launched the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage Coaches Program.

Assouline continues to work closely with the US Equestrian/USPEA Para Centers of Excellence on seminars and coaching sessions. His work with the Centers of Excellence (COE) directly ties in with the aim to grow and develop para-equestrian dressage in the U.S. Prior to joining US Equestrian, he spent nearly 12 years as head coach to the multi-medal winning British para-equestrian dressage program where he led the Great Britain athletes to four silver and seven gold medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, a record-breaking result for Great Britain para dressage athletes. As such, Michel was awarded the Mussabini Medal, a sports award recognizing British coaches, and was inducted into the UK Coaching Hall of Fame.

Laureen K. Johnson is originally from Chicago and now lives in New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Washington School for Secretaries and Business Administration in Washington D.C. and joined US Equestrian in 1999 and currently serves as the Director of Para-Equestrian and Vaulting. Since 2015, Johnson has served as team leader for the U.S. Vaulting Team at the 2015 and 2017 FEI World Championships for Juniors and the 2016 FEI World Championships for Seniors. She also served as team leader for the U.S. Para-Dressage Team at the 2016 Paralympic Games.

Rebecca Hart got involved with the Paralympic movement in 1998 at a regional competition in Atlanta, Ga. It was at that competition that Hart decided she wanted to aim for international competition. Hart purchased her first horse and began to train for national and international competition. Over the years, Hart has represented the U.S. at several international events, including four consecutive Paralympic Games. Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games led to her best team finish yet, as a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team aboard El Corona Texel.

Following a series of standout accomplishments with Schroeter's Romani, Hart retired the Danish Warmblood mare and teamed up with El Corona Texel in September 2017. They quickly garnered 11 Grade III first-place finishes out of 13 opportunities, which helped them earn a spot on the U.S. Para Dressage Team presented by Deloitte for the WEG Tryon 2018.

Hart and El Corona Texel were selected to represent the Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 1 CPEDI3* in Wellington, Fla., in January of 2020. The duo was also named to represent the team at the Tryon CPEDI3* hosted in Tryon, N.C. in October 2020, where they also were crowned the national champions of the 2020 Adequan/USEF Para Dressage National Championship.

In 2021, Hart and Fortune 500 earned a Perrigo CPEDI3* team win and finished first in the Grade III Individual Test at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival 3. Hart partnered with El Corona Texel to collect another Perrigo CPEDI3* team win at the AGDF 9. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, Hart won the team competition and each of the Grade III classes, riding El Corona Texel and Fortune 500.

In 2022, Hart started strong with a first-place finish in the Grade III CPEDI3* Freestyle with her horse El Corona Texel, as well as a second-place finish in the Grade III CPEDI3* Individual aboard Fortune 500 at the Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI in Tryon, North Carolina.

Rebecca is the daughter of Sue Dobson and Terry Hart. She has one sister, Katie, and one brother, Jordan. In her free time, Hart enjoys kayaking, sailing, camping and rock climbing, and giving back to the Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Foundation by bringing awareness about HSP and working with the children dealing with HSP.

Prior to birth, Angela “Annie” Peavy suffered a stroke leaving her paralyzed on the left side of her body. When she was four-years-old, she began riding horses as a method of physical therapy. When she was 10-years-old, she got her first horse and developed a love for dressage. Peavy and her mother went on “dressage vacations” to Portugal where she took three lessons a day. After she returned home, her friend introduced her to para-equestrian dressage. From there, she started working toward her goal of representing the U.S. across the world. As a high school sophomore, Grade IV athlete Peavy won the 2012 Youth Dressage Festival Championship made up of hundreds of young riders from the U.S. and abroad. Her hard work and dedication landed her a spot on the U.S. Team at the 2014 Alltech WEG with mount Ozzy Cooper. Success continued to follow with 2015 cumulating in a USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage Reserve National Champion title in the high performance division. In 2016, Peavy earned a spot of the U.S. Para Dressage Team presented by Deloitte for the Paralympic Games. In 2018, she was named to her second WEG where she will ride Royal Dark Chocolate. She and the 10-year-old Oldenburg mare won seven out of the nine Grade IV tests they contested, and never placed less than third. Peavy is the daughter of Rebecca ‘Becky’ Reno and Ed Peavy. She has one sister, Bridgette and a brother, John. Peavy trains with Heather Blitz of Cutler Farm in Medfield, Mass.

With multiple top finishes in CPEDI3* competition in 2018, Kate Shoemaker was named to her first FEI World Equestrian Games™ U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team with Solitaer 40 for Tryon 2018.

Shoemaker was selected to the Adequan U.S. Para Dressage Team for the 2020 AGDF 1 CPEDI3* in Wellington, Fla., aboard Solitaer 40 and was also selected to participate on the team at the Tryon CPEDI3* in Tryon, N.C., aboard Gaborencio in October. Her additional accomplishments include being a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics aboard her horse, Solitaer 40.

In 2021, Shoemaker won every outing in the first half of the year. With Solitaer 40, Shoemaker swept the Grade IV classes and helped earn two Perrigo CPEDI3* team wins at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival during weeks three and nine. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, Shoemaker and Solitaer 40 again won the team competition and each of the Grade IV classes.

Roxanne "Roxie" Trunnell is a Paralympic individual gold medalist for Grade I and as part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. Para Dressage Team from Tokyo 2020. She is a two-time Paralympian (Tokyo 2020 and Rio de Janeiro 2016) and two-time FEI World Equestrian Games™ U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team member (Tryon 2018 and Normandy 2014). At the WEG Tryon 2018 she and Dolton won the bronze medal in the FEI Grade I Freestyle. Trunnell was ranked No. 1 in the world for 26 months in 2020 through 2022, per the FEI Para Dressage World Indiviudal Ranking, and has broken numerous records, including receiving numerous scores over the 80% mark over the past two years aboard her mount Dolton.

Horses have always been a part of Roxanne “Roxie” Trunnell’s life. As a competitor in able-bodied dressage, Trunnell aspired to be an Olympian. She earned a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) bronze medal and was close to obtaining her silver medal until contracting a virus in 2009 that caused swelling in her brain that changed her life forever. The virus put her in a coma and resulted in her requiring a wheelchair. However, she refused to let this stifle her dreams. Trunnell elicited the help of her family and friends to get her back in the saddle. After a long recovery, Trunnell slowly began to ride again and completed her Masters in Psychology with a focus in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. Striving to compete, Trunnell thought para-equestrian dressage was the perfect avenue. In November of 2012, she was classified Grade 1a, and by May 2013, she rode in her first CPEDI at the Golden State Dressage Show in Rancho Murrieta, Calif. Since 2013, she has delivered top-three placings consistently, contributing to U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team success.

In 2021, Trunnell won at every outing in the first half of the year. She and Dolton swept the Grade I classes and helped earn two Perrigo CPEDI3* team wins at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival during weeks three and nine. At the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3*, Trunnell and Dolton again won the team competition and each of the Grade I classes, including a world record score of 89.522% for an FEI Para Dressage Freestyle Test.

Trunnell is off to a great 2022 season with her new horse, Lehua Custer’s Fortunato H20, as they won the Grade I CPEDI3* Freestyle and Individual classes at Tryon Summer Dressage in North Carolina.